The financial debt is exactly what I've been considering. At this point, it seems, I really am not looking for a reason to go to Howard. I have plenty. I'm looking for a reason not to. I don't think the difference in ammenties justifies $150k in debt. Nor does the wireless connectivity or the out of this world gym. But... I do wonder about school reputation and the outside the class room experiences that the profs will bring to class. Many of the profs at Georgetown are actively engaged in the field of law. Several have argued cases in front of the Supreme Court and serve as consultants on current cases. I'm not saying that these facts are core to my decision. Just ad hoc information that I've come across and am factoring into my decision.

It really is helpful to have ya'll as a resource. Many people in my environment have little to no exposure to law school and are basing their advice off of dreamy ideas. However, this next step is very real for me and I can't afford to not look at all my options. As blk_reign said, I'm the one who will have all that debt to pay back - not them.

Still, I carried this out becuase someone chose to have a stirring comment they didnt want to deal with simply deleted.

Yo Ed, you can't be serious...

You carried this out because you wanted somebody to disprove your incorrect preconceived notion that Howard is and always has been an ALL black school. I don't need to disprove this because I can see the facts have been set out in front of you. I take it by your acquiesence that you accept these facts as finally given to you. The only sad part in the matter is that you didn't know how to find that for yourself.

I hope, for your sake, you don't contine this pattern of discovery into law school. You will be in for a rude awakening if your approach to ideas that you don't agree with involves you asking the teacher to prove that something is not what you think it is (or should be). They are no more inclined to prove to you that the sky is blue anymore than the members of this board are inclined to prove to you that Howard is not ALL black or ever was.

Its very common knowledge that two wrongs don't make a right. HBCU's have NEVER been in the practice of discriminating against white students, so your original comparison lacks not only merit but lacks standing. If you were bringing this claim in a court of law it would be dismissed as a 12(b)(6) motion for failure to state a valid claim before it could even waste one minute of court time.

To bar students based on race is not a practice that Blacks adopted even though it was legally practiced against Blacks from the time of Howard's inception and well into the 20th century for more than 100 years after Howard was founded. The important letter that you need to focus on in HBCU is the "H". That means "Historically". Not "ALL", not "ONLY", not "EXCLUSIVELY".

Your entire stream of posts wreak of a complete misunderstanding of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. Don't think we don't see what you're trying to get at. Because Whites in America have disrespected and violated this Constitutional right for so long, and have been consistently called on it, you feel you are calling out HBCU's for catering to the needs of Black students. You're trying to equate the two. But you fail to distinguish between an institution that is created to help a certain race and institutions that bar certain races. HBCU's are the former, not the latter.

We thank you for your concern though. At least we all know that it has been an educational experience for ONE person on this thread.

Professor Julian DugasHoward University School of Law311 Houston Hall202-806-8057

B.A., 1940, South Carolina State UniversityJ.D., 1949, Howard University

Professor Dugas has been closely associated with the Howard University School of Law for more than fifty years. He was a member of the graduating class of 1949. After graduation, Professor Dugas began a long and distinguished career as an advocate for civil rights, social justice, and racial equality.

Professor Dugas has taught Trial Practice at the Law School for many years and has trained thousands of trial lawyers through the years, including some of the most accomplished legal practioners in the country.

Professor Dugas' office is located in 311 Houston Hall and he can be reached at 202-806-8057

A.J

Yo, I think it is generally believed that Howard is or was at one time or another an all black institution.

I still believe that reverse discrimination goes in our society and in fact, showing a few white faces at Howard doesnt prove that it isnt an institutionally ingrained problem that you simply cant get at with statistics. Its a two way street folks. Please dont try to deny that black people carry the capacity to be racially biased.

So there are white people at Howard? I didnt know that so I apologize.

At any rate, I dont care if there is an all black law school honestly. If there were such a thing for whites though you would probably agree that it would be met with harsher resistance and negative press than if it were the other way.

Yo, I think it is generally believed that Howard is or was at one time or another an all black institution.

I still believe that reverse discrimination goes in our society and in fact, showing a few white faces at Howard doesnt prove that it isnt an institutionally ingrained problem that you simply cant get at with statistics. Its a two way street folks. Please dont try to deny that black people carry the capacity to be racially biased.

So there are white people at Howard? I didnt know that so I apologize.

At any rate, I dont care if there is an all black law school honestly. If there were such a thing for whites though you would probably agree that it would be met with harsher resistance and negative press than if it were the other way.

Caveat... I have no personal experience with either school. But my brother is a lawyer in D.C. and he told me that the top firms hire at least one Howard grads per year. So I think going to Howard, as long as you rank near the top of your class, won't hold you back in biglaw. But Georgetown has a great national rep -- Clinton is a Georgetown graduate -- and I think the name will open more doors for you outside of D.C. and in political circles.

Also, when considering the debt load, think of this: are you willing/able to spend 5 years after ls living cheap, working hard, and paying down your debt? If so, you can probably knock out a good bit of debt early on. During the first 5-10 years after school, are you planning to devoting most of your energy to your career? If so, make investing in that degree a priority. If, however, you really want to have kids soon after ls, or want to start investing in real estate or something else, then being debt free will enable you to do this. So I'd think about your priorities after ls. For the 5-10 years after you graduate, are family/investments/free time more important than maximized career options?

OK, so I know you were asking for someone with experience with this question who doesn't just want to give their personal opinion...and I have no experience with this question, and I'm just going to give you my personal opinion. Sorry

1) Someone mentioned that the top firms hire from the top 10% of Howard. This is going to be true with most good schools; lawyers generally hold the top grads of lower-ranked schools in higher regard than mid-ranked grads from better schools (or at least, this is how the lawyers at my firm feel...and the general hearsay around website like this support that). But you can't count on being in the top 10% of your class, and you'll be much better off in the middle of your class at Georgetown than at the middle of your class at Howard. Again, I don't have any experience that supports this, but my guess is that the median salaries of Gtown and Howard graduates would show that this is probably true.

2) Debt. I can't speak to your personal situation, because I'm not you, and I don't know all of the factors that play into your decision. However, $12000 a year in debt is not that much if you are making $125K/year (plus bonus), as most Gtown private sector grads do. And for other careers, you have LRAP. I think of my law school as an investment...the more that I spend on it now, the better off I will be later in life.

3) Dangit, Georgetown is a better school. They have better professors, are more selective in who they let in, have a much better reputation among judges, lawyers, and professors, and will give you better connections in life (especially within the D.C. area). If you're going to shell out money for something, why not shell it out on this?

4) Did someone mention class size? Georgetown has an incoming class of 600. While this is huge compared to other law schools, it is still small compared with most colleges. Were you ever really bothered by the large class sizes at your school? My school has 6000 students, and I never thought twice about it.

Here, do this for me. Think of five types of jobs that you'd like to have 10 years from now. Let's say this list includes: 1)big law firms, 2)small/medium size law firms, 3)governmen agencies, 4)in-house counsels, and something else. Go to the websites of these types of employers. You will find many, many more Georgetown grads than Howard grads. Don't assume that public interest/government type jobs aren't snobby about what schools they hire from. Many are even more elitist than big law firms.